1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to manufacturing thin film photovoltaic devices, and more particularly, to detecting residue depth in the edge deletion zone of a photovoltaic device resulting from insufficient removal of the thin film.
2. Description of the Related Art
In thin film photovoltaic manufacturing, it is necessary to remove the film deposition at the edges of the glass panel after all films have been deposited. This is commonly referred to as edge deletion. Edge deletion is performed, primarily to electrically isolate the photovoltaic module from metal frames and to aid in sealing the module from moisture.
Edge deletion methods vary greatly from sand-blasting to grinding and laser ablation, amongst other techniques. Regardless of the deletion method employed, it is important to ensure that there is no thin film residue in the edge delete zone. Thus, there is a need in the art for systems and methods for detecting deposition residue in the edge deleted area.